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Pots and Potter's Conference

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This past weekend I attended the NC Potter's Conference in Asheboro, NC. I had a great time. The three presenters were all from Australia, Janet Mansfield, Owen Rye, and Chester Nealie. They made some great pots, showed slides, and had lively talks and interaction with the audience and one another. Owen gave a talk and showed slides on Australian woodfired ceramics and Janet gave a presentation entitled "State of Ceramics, A World Overview".

I learned a good way to make bigger jars by watching Janet. I made two on Monday they are pictured here. The tallest is 19". I hope to have some of these fired before my sale on March 25 & 26.

I'll write more about the conference later, for now I need to get to work.

Poem

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Here is a poem a friend passed on to me:

There is a vitality, a life force,a quickening that is translated through you into action,and because there is only one of you in all time,this expression is unique.

And if you block it,it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is;nor how valuable it is; Nor how it compares with other expressions.

It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly,to keep the channel open.

You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you.

Keep the channel open…No artist is pleased…

There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction,a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.

Martha Graham to Agnes DeMille

Friday update

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I am falling down on the job here aren't I?
Okay so this week has been both productive and fun. I loaded the kiln today, fire tomorrow. I spent a good amount of time this week volunteering at the Arts Council getting ready for the Bowling For Dollars Soup Luncheon. This happened yesterday and was a huge success as it has been in the past. We served up about 200 bowls of soup to folks who had bought a ticket to come in a pick out a handmade bowl. All the bowls were donated by the potters who are participating in the Treasures of the Earth Pottery Show and Sale going on now at the Arts Council. Yesterday my job was carrying big pots of soup from the upstairs kitchen down to the serving line, as well as keeping up with other things like "we're out of bread go up and get some more" etc. All the ladies in the kitchen work really hard and are super great to work with. I made them all cranberry scones for breakfast.
Sarah has been in Durham at a Conference with her school mates for a few days. I had a couple guys over for pizza last night. Looks like tonight I'm headed for Chen's for some Chinese takeout... best in town.
This old machine is acting up, it some kind of weird reboot, that's never happened before. I hope it doesn't sieze up and die on me.
I'll try and do better this coming week getting some posts up.
Have a great weekend! Get out and play!

Mark Bittman

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How to Cook Everything is a 30 min show that comes on PBS here on Saturdays at 2:30. I am usually out doing something during the day on Saturday so I don't get to see it often. Today I made it in and caught it. In the show Mark Bittman visits a chef and sort of takes him/her on in their resturant or kitchen. It's very laid back and fun. Bittman is my kind of cook. He uses simple ingredients and cooking methods. The chef he is paired up with is usually way more complicated. So the premise of the show is that the chef will cook a dish and then Bittman will do his version, which is always quicker and easier, most of the time using very similar ingredients. Each does two dishes per episode. Anyhow I finally visited the website today www.howtocookeverything.com and can't wait to try out some of the dishes.

Not much

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I don't have a lot of new stuff to report but I thought I'd at least put something out here. I have been making pots for the next firing which is in a couple weeks. More new pitchers and I hope to fire all the special order dinner ware that I have made and get it to the folks who have been waiting.
I am reading Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth. I learned about Campbell after reading a post on Joe Bennion's Journal page. This is very interesting to me, maybe I'll post more on it, but it's probably better just to go to the library and get a copy. I have just finished Chapter 1 and I am totally blown away by the relevance of it to this day and time.
I can't leave without saying that Dick Cheney must be a total idiot, what did he do mistake his friend for a terrorist? I guess he follows the shoot first, ask later policy. I have heard reports that put it off on the man shot, saying he should have announced himself. That's true but I learned when I was 10 years old not to shoot without identifying what I was shooting. The bright orange hat is usually a good give away that it's not a quail, deer, etc.
I have probably just red flagged myself. Oh well. See ya.

Recent Pots

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I fired the salt/soda kiln on Friday. I unloaded yesterday and got all the pots in today. It usually takes me a day to warm up to everything and be objective about the firing. This firing was reduced a bit more than usual. Here are some of the pots. I also had some really nice bowls and dishes. Teapots. The one on the right has avery slip and trapped some carbon on the spout.
 Pitchers. Left has heavy gray soda deposit.
 New animal pot design.

Pitchers

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As promised, here is a picture of the last pitchers I made. This was just before being loaded into the bisque this morning. I can't wait to fire these guys. Sarah says these are the best pitchers I've ever made. Nice, tall, and light.

Intentions

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I had planned on getting a good post up this weekend. Instead all I managed to do was sort of botch things up a bit. I changed my template for the blog and wiped out my HaloScan comment setup. Now I am having difficulty getting that going and I have yet to reinsert my links. So be patient. I want to get a pic of my new pitchers up and a shot of the new workshop. I should be moving in there by the end of the week....I hope.
I promise a better update early this week.

Monday Update

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Hey Folks. Hope you are all well out there in computer land. It's been a rainy day here on Wallace Grove but a good day. My friend Steve and his wife Charlotte from SC stopped by on their way to Asheville. Steve and I became friends a few years back when he stopped in my booth at a pottery show. He has been making pots for several years and is coming along quite well. He spent the fall at Penland in the Concentration Class. While he was visiting tonight he showed me some pots he had made including some great pitchers. He gave me a little tip he learned at Penland and after he left I made some of the best pitchers I've made in a while. Thanks Steve. I'll try and get a pic of these after I get the handles on them.

Steve is also a pizza lover, so we talked a bit about dough before he left. It just happens that I made pizza for me and Sarah and our painter friend Sally last night. Oh it was so good. We had one spinach, sundried tomato, and goat cheese, which was on a spicy olive oil brushed crust. And one Fontina, Parmigiano-Reggiano, over a spicy olive oil crust that had dollops of thick marinara sauce dotted on top. I have gotten to where I prefer Fontina to Mozzarella. Of course if you get a really nice fresh Mozz then that's hard to beat.

My workshop at Clayworks this past Saturday went well and I had lots of fun. Thanks for everyone who came.

I often complain about my computer so I was also excited this past week when the new iMacs came out. I hope to get one this year (if pottery sales are good). I also have to see about getting cable trenched in down here. I got a $350 estimate from Time Warner to do it, I'm gonna see if I can't do the trenching in from the road myself to cut that cost down. For now I'm on the slow road.

That's it for now.

Self destruction

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What a day I had yesterday. I didn't realize until around one o clock exactly what all I needed to get done before the day ended. I started the day off smacking my left index finger with a slap stapler and busting loose a big chuck of skin just below the nail. A few hours later as I was finishing off working on the drywall I fell off the top step of the 26" stepstool. As I lay on the concrete I began to realize this wasn't exactly my day. What is up? I have injured myself more in the past two months than I have in a year.

Well, then it dawned on me that I needed to scrape all the kiln shelves, glaze some pots, (oh no, not enough glaze in the bucket) mix some glaze, make cone packs, and mix my yellow glaze tests. Plus I had promised to cook manicotti for supper and have it ready when Sarah got home from school. I wanted to get all the pottery stuff done so that I could load the kiln Tuesday morning and be finished before 3 pm (because I have an appointment in Charlotte that evening) Okay, stress level is maxxed out.

Solution...no firing this week. I decided this morning (as I still had pots to glaze) that I wasn't going to bust my hump and probably accidently damage myself further just to get a load of pots fired. It can wait till next week.

Today, I will work on the drywall finishing (and not falling) and will glaze the pots at a leisurely pace. Remember to breathe.

Pottery Week

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There's a lot happening in the pottery this week. I am firing on Wednesday. So today I have the last of the pots drying by the woodstove. I need to mix up some test glazes, I am looking for a good yellow glaze to use inside pots. I need to clean all the shelves for the kiln and make wadding too. So fire on Wed. unload on Friday.

On Saturday I'll be giving a workshop at Clayworks in Charlotte. I am really looking forward to this. It will be fun to interact with others. Being a studio potter involves lots of time working alone and after a while this really takes a toll on me. I need some good energy time with others. Saturday night is the ClayMatters Pottery Guild annual party. That will be fun too, there is always lots of good food, company, and pottery talk.

Six Years and T.M.P

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Sarah and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary on Sat. Jan. 14. We were married in 2000 on the beach in Negril, Jamaica. Oh to be there now. How lucky I am to have such a beautiful, wonderful wife. She never ceases to amaze me. She is the most positive, compassionate, caring person I have ever known. Her trust in life and what is to come is inspiring to me. I look forward to our many years together.

Saturday night we went to Charlotte with some friends who had invited us to the Tosco Music Party. We had a great night. The T.M.P. happens a few times a year at Spirit Square and sells out all 700+ seats in a short time. At Tosco each performer does one or two numbers. So we saw 17 acts all for the low price of $12. My favorite of the night was David Mead. Check him out.

Big Cover Up

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No this isn't a post about dear old George and his secrets. It's about studio construction progress. Over the past week we got the drywall hung in the showroom and all the paneling and ceiling primered in the workshop. Wow, that's looking good. I am going to start finishing the drywall today. The showroom will get ceramic tile on the floor and a nice color on the walls. The workshop will keep the concrete floor and some sort of light color on the walls.

Friday

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I've been avoiding my computer lately for several reasons. One, it is slow. Two, I have been making pots and working on studio construction again which has kept me busy and when I come in I just want to chill out. I called the cable company yesterday to see about getting cable ran out here so we can get a high speed connection. I should hear back from them next week.

Anyhow I will be firing next week and I am excited about that. I have a good load of pots made up consisting of dinnerware, teapots, bowls, mugs, and bottles that I plan on side firing. I hope to get a few pitchers made today.

On Jan. 21 I will be giving a workshop at Clayworks Studios in Charlotte. I am looking forward to that. It's been awhile since I have been infront of a group of people to make and talk about pots. I always learn a lot about myself when I do this.

All the drywall is hung in the new studio showroom. I will start finishing it tomorrow and painting next week. The walls in the workshop are covered in paneling that I got for free. I will paint it a light color. So things are coming along in there. I plan to be all moved in time for my Home Sale at the end of March.

Okay that's it for now. Sorry for the long lapse between posts. I promise to do better. I'll be sure to get pics up of pots and studio construction soon.

A Good Day

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Yesterday I got back into full swing in the studio making plates and bowls for some dinnerware orders I need to fill. It was a good day to be in working as the weather outside was very rainy. Sarah worked in her studio too finishing up some special orders. It's nice having her home from school and having some time together to spend like we used to when we were both working at home full time. Today I'll cut feet on all these plates and bowls and get to work on some other things.

Back to work

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I got back to making my usual pots for the salt/soda kiln on this week. Monday I made some cups and yesterday I made a couple boards of animal jars which I will finish up today. This is the time of year when I am trying new things so yesterday I experimented with some new lids and jar shapes, I am not sure they will be successful but it is good to try.

We had a good Christmas. I got a new yoga mat which I hope to put to good use this year, I really need to be taking better care of myself. I didn't over indulge in all the holiday food and sweets this year, also no sodas or alcohol. Pretty good for a guy who has a hard time getting out of Harris Tetter without reaching for a free cookie from the kids ballon stand.

My clay should be coming out of the racks this week, so I'll be stocked up for a while. Tomorrow we'll be heading to Charlotte for the day and we plan on having a good meal at Lang Van our favorite Vietnamese resturant. YUM.

That's it for now.

Catching Up

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Sorry for the long lapse between posts. Here is a bit of an update as to what I have been doing.

I have been to the Mint Museum of Craft and Design twice in as many weeks to see the Don Reitz exhibiton. AWESOME!

The county was hit by a major winter storm less than a week ago that produced mainly ice, leaving many without power. We were spared.

I made two earthenware slab paintings using commercial slips for my niece and nephew. I have to fire them and then I'll post a picture.

I haven't read any books since The Power of One. Mostly keeping myself entertained with magazines, pottery books, and Food TV.

Today I FINALLY mixed clay. I am glad that's done.

I want to get back to work in the studio after Christmas working on some dinnerware orders and pots for an upcoming exhibiton. I have been drawing some but don't know if any of this will work it's way onto any pots. The wall slabs were fun to do and may be where I put my clay-drawing energy for now, as opposed to drawing on pots. This will allow me to experiment and learn some mark making skills without ruining pots.

I have changed the 'comment' software for this Journal Page. I think it is easier to use now. Give it a go if you don't mind, I welcome your comments, etc.